Cyber Orange Ford Bronco Badlands Sasquatch Edition SUV

New Ford Bronco Badlands Sasquatch Cyber Orange Edition SUV Across 5 generations that spanned 30 years of automotive history, the Bronco established itself as an off road racing champion, a competitor to Jeep's CJ models, and an iconic adventure vehicle. But after Ford ceased production of the Bronco following the 1996 model year, an entire generation of people missed out on the opportunity to buy or ride in a new Bronco. Now the Bronco is back in 2 and 4 door body styles to take on the Champion Jeep Wrangler. The midsize Bronco SUV is instantly recognizable. There was no missing the "trail sights" on its front fenders. Not only are they a heritage-inspired design cue, they're also functional because they highlight the front corners of the vehicle during off-road drives and serve as tie down points with a maximum load rating of 150 pounds each. At first glance, the black mirror caps may not seem all that special, but their positioning is key. They're mounted ahead of the A-pillars so they can stay attached to the vehicle and perform their important job even when the doors are off. I removed the two front panels of the four-piece molded-in-color hardtop setup and was pleasantly surprised to discover that I didn't have to crack the windows to prevent wind buffeting at speeds of around 50 mph. By far, the most noticeable feature on the Sasquatch Package, which added high-clearance fender flares and suspension, front and rear locking differentials, and a set of 17-inch forged aluminum beadlock capable wheels wrapped in 35-inch Goodyear Territory mud-terrain tires. Ford offers three bundles of upgrades on the Bronco Badlands and it checked the boxes for all of them when it configured my media loaner's interior, which featured black leather-trimmed vinyl seats and pops of orange in various areas. The Mid Package added features such as dual-zone automatic climate control and SYNC 4 infotainment. Additional sound deadening, a 360-degree camera system, a 12-inch touchscreen, and built-in navigation came with the High Package. The Lux Package made the rough-and-tough adventure vehicle a little more elegant by outfitting it with a heated steering wheel, Adaptive Cruise Control, a wireless charging pad, a 10-speaker B&O sound system by Bang & Olufsen, and more. On the road, the Bronco was remarkably easy to live with. Its rack and pinion steering allowed me to move straight ahead without constantly inputting small corrections to the steering. Whenever I encountered rough spot of pavement, the independent front suspension kept the shock going through one side from reverberating its way to the other. Despite how massive it looked on its 35s, it was surprisingly easy to park, thanks to its 116-inch wheelbase and parking-friendly turning radius. There was no getting around the fact that it tipped the scales at some point on Ford's official curb weight range of 4,661 to 5,320 pounds. I was constantly aware of the fact that Ford's famous beast wasn't a Quarter Horse. Fortunately, the optional 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6's 330 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque (with premium fuel) and the 10-speed automatic were enough to help it quickly get out of its own way. As soon as the weekend rolled around, I headed out to the trails near my house. The miles of dusty trails gave me plenty of time to test out the Bronco's Trail Control technology, which allowed me to set an off-road cruising speed and focus on my steering while it took care of the throttle and braking. At one point, I needed to flip around and head back the way I had come. Trail Turn Assist shortened the Bronco's turning radius by braking the inside rear wheel and enabling the Bronco to pivot on it and cut a tighter left turn around a scrub brush. I soon came upon the roughest, rockiest section I could find. I engaged 4L and spun through the G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) modes to select the Rock Crawl setting, then got moving. I didn't need the locking front or rear differentials, but ground clearance and wheel placement were vital if I was going to avoid crunching the Bronco's underbody skid plates or worse. To make sure I got maximum articulation out of the front end, I activated the Sta-Bar Disconnect feature. What I couldn't see from behind the wheel, the high-resolution front camera picked up and displayed on the infotainment screen. The further I went, the more chewed-up and uneven the terrain was, but even at its worst, it only used up a small portion of the Bronco's 11.5 inches of ground clearance. Check out my Jeep Wrangler videos to compare and visit www.MarkSugarDrives.com for more info on new and used vehicles.